Frankie

Frankie overcame the odds to find a loving home home! He had a wonderful personality and was friendly toward all people and animals, but had some separation anxiety that he’d need help working through. His anxiety soon became so severe that he’d panic and become destructive whenever he was left alone. In one short-lived foster home, he destroyed the living room couch when his foster parent left to take the trash out. He chewed his way through three homes before landing in the shelter once again. With each return, the story was the same -Frankie was a wonderful dog, but his anxiety was just too much.

In the shelter, Frankie rapidly lost weight from stress. Putting him back in his kennel at night was a heartbreaking exercise, with Frankie using every bit of his strength to resist. This dog, who would nuzzle kittens and gently greet young children, when left alone would bend the bars of his cage in panic.

What could we do to help this dog who was so desperate for companionship? It was clear that he simply could not spend time alone. We put him on anxiety medication, gave him as much time out of the kennel as possible, and lined up two volunteer foster homes to care for him – they would alternate weekdays and weekends. A local dog daycare allowed Frankie to come every day so he could play with other dogs while his foster parents worked.

Sending Frankie into foster care was twice the relief for us: not only was Frankie happy and healthy, we were finally able to use his kennel space to rescue other dogs whose lives were in the balance at the city shelter (with so many homeless animals in Philadelphia, every open space means the difference between life and death).

Frankie has appeared on TV, had his picture taken at destinations all over the city, has made appearances at scores of public events, and has thousands of online fans keeping up on his progress. He’s also the cover model of our 2014 calendar!

Frankie’s happy ending finally came when one of his foster families decided they had fallen in love and were able to keep him full-time forever. Frankie also has a canine sibling, Watson, who has helped him feel comfortable and secure. Little by little, he learned that he was safe, and today he is able to be left alone at home as long as Watson is with him. We miss this boy and wish him a happy life ahead with his family!